High-pressure gaseous oxygen package



Sept. 2, 1947. D 2,426,636

HIGH PRESSURE GASEOUS OXYGEN PACKAGE Filed Sept. 27, 1943 INVENTOR. D am/ Mgzpes BY n 7/ ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 2, 1947 HIGH-PRESSURE GASEOUS OXYGEN v PACKAGE Daniel Mapes, West Caldwell, N. J., assignor to Specialties Development Corporation, Bloomfield, J a corporation of New Jersey Application September 27, 1943, Serial No. 504,065

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to metallic containers, and more particularly to containers for storing fluid media under pressure.

Heretofore, it has been customary to store various kinds, of fluid medium in ordinary alloy or carbon type steel containers or the like at pres-- sure of between about 700 and about 2200 pounds per square inch. These containers are used extensively in connection with vehicles and craft for carrying on warfare, and are likely to be subjected to gunfire when in combat areas. In many cases the containers are utilized for storing a fluid medium capable of supporting combustion. When such containers are pierced by a projectile from a machine gun or the like, the impact of the projectile heats the metal suiiiciently to cause it to burn in the presence of the combustion supporting medium. The burning of the metal may cause splashing of molten metal or a burst of flame which sets afire the vehicle or craft wherein the containers are used.

An object of the present invention is to provide metallic containers for storing iiuidmedia capable of supporting'combustion at relatively high pressures, the wall surface of the containers being covered with a metal adapted to minimize burning of the containers in the event the containers are I pierced by a projectile from a machine gun or the to the surface of the metal from which the consupport combustion, which can be fired upon without the occurrence of severe flashing or burning.

A further object is to greatly minimize and to eliminate the fire hazard in vehicles and craft carrying containers storing high pressure media which are capable of supporting combustion.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious, upon an understanding of the illustrative mbodiment about to be described, orwill be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to oneskilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

In accordance with the invention, it has been found that the foregoing objects can be accomplished by forming the containers of a metal which will burn rapidly when subjected to heat in the presence of oxygen, the Wall surface of the containerslbeing covered with a metal, which, when in intimate contact with compressed oxygen and subjected tohigh temperature due to the container walls being pierced by gunfire or the like, will fuse and oxidize rapidly to form a protective metallic oxide coating serving to prevent burning of the containers beyond the point at which the walls are pierced. Such metals may be copper and copper alloys.

Suitable copper alloys are those of the coppernickel type, containing 60 to 70% nickel and 25 to 35% copper; the copper-beryllium type, containing 96 to 98% copper and 2 to 4% beryllium; and the copper-nickel-beryllium type, containing .25 to .5% nickel, 2 to. 2.75% beryllium and the balance copper. At high temperatures copper and copper alloys are rapidly coated with corresponding oxides thereof which are diflicult to burn.

In the accompanying drawing the single figure is an elevational view, partly in section, illustrating a container in accordance with the present invention.

In the drawing there is shown a container Ill having a neck I l formed with an opening for receiving a valve l2 or the like. The container has a wall l4 provided with interior and exterior surface layers or coatings l5 and i6, respectively, as about to' be described. 7

It has been found that burning of the containers could be prevented by constructing them of any suitable metal, including ordinary alloy or carbon type steels, aluminum or aluminum alloys, and providing the interior and exterior walls with a surface layer or coating of copper or such copper alloys. This protective layer may be applied preferably are designed to safely store the fluid medium at working, pressures of between about 700 to about 2200 pounds per square inch or even more, and to resist shattering when struck by gunfire or the like.

The fluid medium stored in the containers usually is oxygen adapted to be used on aircraft for breathing purposes during high altitude flights.

Normally, when a projectile pierces the walls of a container in which oxygen is stored, the impact of the projectile generates heat. This causes heating of the wall of the container adjacent the entrance and exit holes of/the projectile to a temperature sufiiciently high to ignite the metal.

3 ploying the metallizing process.

" media capable of supporting combustion, for ex- 1 ample, compressed air.

The following examples illustrate the inven" type steel generally used for making cylinders was internally coated with a spray of molten copper by employing a process developed by Metallizing Engineering Company of Long Island City, New York, known as metallizing. The shell was then formed into a cylindrical container which was sprayed externally with copper by em- An internal and external surface layer of copper having a thickness of about .01 of an inch was applied to the container by this process.

The cylindrical wall of the container was provided with a winding of two layers of music wire, as shown in my prior Patent No. 2,370,677. The container had a capacity. of about 295, cubic inches, and was filled with oxygen at 1800 pounds per square inch pressure.

The container was fired at by a .50 caliber machine gun using 2700 feet per second velocity, armor piercing ammunition, at a range. of 75 yards.

When the projectile struck the container the amount of flashing and burning was greatly minimized as compared with uncoated containers of the same material as the container tested. The copper was oxidized at the entrance and exit 1 holes which retarded burning'of the steel.

With surface layers or coatings of copper nickel alloys and copper-beryllium alloys resistance to burning also is increased. Flashing and burning can be further minimized by increasing the thickness of the coating.

Example II it contacted the inner cylindrical wall of the shell and formed a protective covering therefor. The shell was then formed into a cylindrical container which was wire-wound like the container mentioned in Example I.

The container provided had a capacity of about i 295 cubic inches, and was fllled'with oxygen at 1800 pounds per square inch pressure.

The container was fired at by a .50 caliber machine gun using 2700 feet per second velocity, armor piercing ammunition, at a range of 75 yards.

When the projectile struck the container, it' pierced the outer wall fired upon and exited through the opposite wall. The amount of flashing and burning was very slight and was considerably less than in connection with the container described in Example I, thus demonstrating that layers of copper sheeting as well as sur: 1 face coatings greatly minimize flashing and burn- Sheeting of copper alloys containing nickel and/or beryllium has good resistance to burning and can be utilized to obtain similar results.

From the foregoing description and examples,

it will be seen that the present invention provides improved high pressure containers for 4 storing fluid media. capable of supporting combustion. By rendering the containers resistive to burning in the presence of a combustion supporting medium, the firehazards in vehicles and craft on which the containers are used are specific features of the invention, herein de-.

scribed, and .all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of, language, might be said to fall therebetween. I claim: A portable sealed package comprising a metall ic container containing a supply of gaseous oxygen compressed to at least 700 pounds per square inch which supply is adapted to be-dispensed from the container, said. container being formed of a metal which will burn rapidly when subjected to heat in the presence of oxygen and having the interior and exterior wall surface thereof covered with a fusible and rapidly oxidizable material selected from the groupconsisting of copper, copper-nickel alloys and cop.-- per-beryllium alloys, which materials, when in intimate contact with the compressed oxygen and subjected to' high temperature due to the container wall being pierced by gunfire or the like, will fuse and oxidize rapidly to form a: protective metallic oxide coating serving to preventv burning of, the container beyond. the point at which the container is pierced;

v DANIEL MAPES.

, REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record'- inv the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,205,708 Zurbrugg June 25, 1940 1,544,854 Mueller et al. July 7, 1925 2,329,765 Jackson et al. Sept. 21, 1943' 2,337,049 Jackson Dec. 21, 1943 2,127,712 Bart Aug. 23, 1938 2,042,426 Kinzel May 26, 1936 2,339,554 Kuhn Jan. 18, 1944 2,344,856 Earle Mar. 21, 1944 1,961,117 Wall May 29,1934 1 1,995,616 Kamack Mar. 26, 1935 2,245,430 Courtright et a1; June 10, 1941 280,905 Brownell July 10, 1883 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 376,822 Great Britain July 18, 1932' OTHER REFERENCES Metals Handbook, 1936 edition, published by. American Society for Metals, 7016- Euclid Ave.,

Cleveland, Ohio.

Alloys of Chromium and Nickel, by Kinzel and Franks, first edition, published by McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York. 

